Connected in Disconnect
by cora-stacy
Summary: A Torchwood contractor is the latest victim of a serial killer targeting young rich entrepreneurs. Jack goes undercover to find out what the killer is after and brings Ianto with him. An off-canon take on how their relationship repaired, and moved forward after the Cyberwoman incident. NOW COMPLETE
1. Prologue

A/N: Welcome! I hope everyone who finds this story enjoys it. As I said in the description this is a slightly AU take on how Ianto wormed his way back into everyone's hearts and trust after Lisa's death, especially Jack's ;) For context sake it takes place some time after Cyberwoman and before They Keep Killing Suzie. Please read and review. I'll be posting at least one more chapter tonight to get the action rolling.

Disclaimer: I do not own torchwood or any of the characters.

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London 

Chris turned off his lamp as his laptop finished shutting down. It had been a long day of proposal writing and part hunting. He put his blazer back on over the dark red t-shirt he was wearing and tossed the laptop in the bag slung over his shoulder. He was just about to head out the door when the office phone rang. He groaned, put his things down and lunged over the desk.

" This is Best." Answering the phone with his last name.

" Chris? Hi it's Toshiko Sato." He smiled recognizing one of his favorite customers voices.

" Toshiko! How are you love? If you are calling me that means either you've invented something marvelous or your team broke something. How can I help?"

" Well it's a little bit of both actually. I have a burnt out high capacity hard drive that needs replacing and I'm working on setting up a new work station in here strictly for running long form predictive programming." Tosh always loved talking to Chris because she didn't have to dumb things down for him. She was convinced the only reason he was happy to hear from her was because he saw dollar signs over his head. However, the young computer consultant had developed quite the crush on his mysterious female client. He had tried to find out more about her but for a software genius she was impossible to locate on the internet. He sat back down at his desk and pulled out a pad of paper.

"So one of the usual ten terabyte drives and the best cooling fan money can buy. What else?"

" I'll send you the specs and you can work on the quote. Feel free to recommend any additional bits you think would help. Can you have numbers to me by Friday?"

" Hell I'll probably have them by tomorrow. Looking at your plans is a pleasure."

"Thanks Chris, I owe you one." Tosh smiled and blushed a little, she was glad it wasn't a video call.

" Well what about dinner? I know I live three hours away but I'd be willing to make the trip." She laughed

"Let me see the bill and then we'll talk. I may be stuck working overtime until doomsday. Good night Chris."

"Night Toshiko." He hung up the phone and let out a whoop. She hadn't said no. Not saying no was the first step to her saying yes. He grabbed his bags and resolved to work on nothing but the Torchwood quote tomorrow. He locked up his small office and headed down to where his mini was parked under the building.

By the time the night watchman stumbled on him three hours later, Chris was dead. He had bled out from a single stab wound on the side of his neck. His laptop, keys and car were all gone.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N Sorry for the short chapters, they will certainly get longer as things get moving but I like the beats where these are ending.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or any of it's characters.

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Cardiff

It was a usual morning in the Hub. Morning hours were generally reserved for paperwork, research and other quiet activities. Jack hung up the phone and pressed the sides of his fingers to his lips in thought. This whole situation was not good, and it was going to get worse before it got better. He got up and stuck his head out the office door. " Tosh can I see you for a minute? Owen, Gwen go pull Ianto out of the archives, we're having a meeting in 15 minutes." Tosh pushed her glasses up on her nose confused. What was with the special attention? She walked up the stairs with her PDA . She entered the office and Jack closed the door behind her.

When the team met in the conference room a short time later they saw a visibly shaken Tosh avoiding eye contact with everyone. Jack stood at the head of the table with his arms crossed. The three newcomers sat down in hesitant confusion.

" I got a call from Detective Swanson this morning. She is liaising on a murder case with the London police department." He hit a button on the remote and a well dressed blond man appeared on the screen. " Last night, on his way to his car Christopher Best was attacked, robbed and left to bleed out in an office car park." He hit the button again. Two more well dressed men, one with brown hair and glasses, the other black with a goatee appeared next to Chris' photo. "Jeff Hilton and Andrew Kelly were also killed the same way in the last month."

" Sorry, I thought you said we don't do crime solving?" Gwen asked.

" We don't. But Chris Best held the computer hardware supplier contract for this base. The last person he spoke to before he died was Toshiko." Tosh slunk down farther in her seat. Tears were starting to break through and trickle down her cheeks. Ianto passed her napkins under the table. She squeezed his hand in thanks. "They had been discussing the design for Tosh's rift predictor station. When he was attacked his laptop, which held the design for that computer as well as lists of every piece of equipment we've bought off him in the last four years and what it is used for, was taken. It's not a lot of information but it is still enough to put us at risk. This is why we are getting involved. I don't even want London PD to have that computer." Jack sat down indicating presentation time was over.

"Right, so how are we supposed to keep that from happening exactly?" Owen asked

" Easy, get it before they do. Find out who took it, what they were looking for and then get out and let the coppers do the rest."

" And again I ask, how do we do that from here?" Owen rolled his eyes annoyed.

" Send someone to London I'm guessing?" Ianto piped up. Jack snapped his fingers and pointed indicating that the young man had given the correct answer.

"Not someone, some ones, plural. Ianto and I will be going undercover." Reactions from the group ranged from wary, to confused, to Ianto spitting out his coffee into his cup.

" Me? Why?"

"If I'm going to be deep undercover I won't be able to contact the team. It's safer to work as a duo. I can stay awake for 24 hours a day to watch all necessary surveillance but it's really uncomfortable so I'd prefer not." Jack let the plan sink in. "We leave in two days. Tosh I need two fresh identities. Owen and Gwen look at the autopsies and police files on all three victims, we need to know what we are looking for. Ianto we need an apartment and a car, I trust your taste just make sure the damn thing is an automatic because I can't stand to drive stick." Jack got up and left the room signalling the end of the meeting.

" Jack!" Gwen called after him. He kept walking to his office knowing she would follow. " Jack, are you sure about this? After everything that's happened are you sure he can handle it?" Gwen trailed off looking down into the hub where a still slightly shell shocked Ianto went about his usual morning chores. Jack followed her gaze.

" That's exactly why I'm taking him. If he can fool us, he can fool anyone."


	3. Chapter 2

A/N Please read and review, I love feedback especially when I'm trying something new.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or any characters.

* * *

By the next afternoon the plan was starting to come together.

" The victims were all self employed in different industries. Chris in computer hardware, Jeff was a commercial song writer, Andrew was a financial planner." Gwen laid out the three files on the table. "The one thing they had in common was they all held offices at Paradiso Tower. The Tower's website describes itself as a business commune. No one gets more than one office and all expenses for receptionists, maintenance, security and cafeteria services are shared equally among all companies."

" Chris' office was on the 3rd floor along with Andrew's. Jeff was a floor above them." Tosh added pulling out blueprints of the tower. "Current listed vacancies are mainly on the second floor but you never know." She passed Ianto and Jack each a bag of wallet contents. "Jack we have you set up as James Scott, event promoter. Ianto you are William Lloyd his personal assistant."

"Out in the field and you are still the tea boy!" Owen chortled. Ianto glared as Jack cleared his throat to keep from laughing.

" I can change it." Tosh tried to take the packet back but Ianto stopped her.

"No, it's fine. Makes more sense in the long run, less to remember." Ianto pulled out the listings from the estate agent. "There are flats for rent in the building across from the Paradiso including a two bedroom on the eighth floor facing the tower. I've made some inquiries and we should be good as soon as our references clear." He said gesturing to Tosh. Tosh nodded and hit a couple of buttons on her PDA.

"Owen, anything medical?" Jack asked.

"Basically watch your back. All three were stun gunned from behind under the ribs, left side before being stabbed in an artery on the right side of the neck." He glanced at Tosh feeling bad he had to do this when she knew the victim.

" Ok and what gear are we packing?" Tosh put two cases on the table

"You'll each have approximately twenty bugs as well as stationary and portable hard driver readers. Jack, you'll have a supply of sedatives and retcon. Ianto , you'll have the contact lenses."

"Hey! Why don't I get the lenses?" Jack pouted.

" Because we really don't want to see what you look at all day." Gwen said. The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

" Fine, everyone finish your reports and we'll hit the pub for fare-thee-wells." The team dispersed.

Ianto was down in the kitchen writing instructions on how to work the coffee maker when Jack found him. "So are you packed?" Ianto glanced up and smiled nervously.

" Yes sir. I just have to pick up the car in the morning." Ianto smiled "Automatic as requested." Jack smiled briefly before putting on his boss face.

"Ianto, I picked you for this because I know you are capable of more than you usually get to do around here." The Welshman glanced down to avoid his gaze. "Plus I think we both need to get to know each other better in order to get back to where we were."

"Yes sir, I think that's a good idea." They smiled at each other. " If you need any help packing once I'm done here I'll be happy to help with any last minute tasks." Jack nodded and headed to the door.

" Thanks, I'll let you know." Jack headed to his bunker to finish packing. It had been years since he played the con game. Even longer since he had a partner in it.


	4. Chapt 3

A/N Sorry for the delay! here is a longer chapter to get your love back :) Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own and of the characters or recognizable features of torchwood. I just really dig them.

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Jack closed the boot of the Audi Ianto had acquired and looked at the three team members he was leaving behind. He shivered a bit in the autumn air, the short 'vintage inspired' bomber jacket he was wearing was not providing the same coverage his great coat usually did. However this was James Scott's wardrobe not Jack Harkness'. He had mixed some of his usual pieces in with a more casual modern look. Ianto had also ordered two suits from a tailor in London which would be waiting at the new apartment. They didn't end up needing much more their clothes and toiletries, the surveillance equipment and a couple of computers. The suite that they were renting came fully furnished which made the set up a lot easier.

"If all goes well you should hear from one of us once a day from the secure line" Jack held up one of the three new mobile phones they had purchased for the investigation. "If 72 hours passes and we have not been in contact that means trouble. Abandon the mission and do whatever you feel is necessary." He handed Tosh the main hub keys and got in the car. He rolled down the window "All right kids no fighting while Mom and Dad are gone. There is money on the dresser for pizza and don't forget to feed the Pterodactyl." Ianto drove away as Jack waved goodbye.

The drive into London was surprisingly pleasant. Jack was reading the research and necessary information out loud to Ianto.

" So we met in university, started out by running a couple of pub nights and then after graduation you followed me back to the U.S where I've been quite successful." Jack read out the cover story

" But then my parents are getting older and I wanted to be closer to home so now we are trying to set up shop in London in hopes that I can run it while you handle the New York office." Ianto recited having looked through the files the previous night. " Get off my ass you bloody wanker" He tapped the brake to get the tailgater to back off. He glanced over at his surprised boss " Not you! Trust me, not you! I just can't stand bad drivers." He gestured to the rearview mirror and Jack understood.

" I never would have taken you for someone with road rage." Jack was amused. He always suspected that the calm cool demeanor was more of an act.

"Lisa said it was an extension of my Type A personality. She hated it." Ianto realised who he was talking to and felt awkward. " Sorry"

" Don't be. We're supposed to be getting to know each other. She was a person, a very special person to you by the sounds of it, long before she," Jack couldn't find the words to describe the end of her life but decided it wasn't necessary. "She was in your life and she's bound to turn up in memories and stories. Not a big deal." They drove in silence for awhile before Jack decided work was a safer subject. "Do you see any holes in the story?"

"Only one: If we are uni friends how does the age gap work?" Jack and Ianto's fake ids showed a ten year difference. Ianto's was his actual age, Jack's the latest number he had fudged into the database.

"Good point. Hmm." Jack stared out the window thinking for a moment. " I guess I left the U.S, travelled around a bit before deciding what to do with myself?"

"Works for me. The travelling easily also explains why we are sharing one flat. Why bother renting two if one or both of us might not be staying put."

"Good point. Your logic skills are going to be a big help out here." Jack felt the need to reassure Ianto that he hadn't changed his mind about taking the younger man as his partner. " Ok, Itinerary for the day: We start at the apartment, ETA is noon. We are meeting with George English, building manager. He'll have our keys and everything all set. Then at 2:30 we head to Paradiso where Lucy Pride, the head of the tenants board will show us possible work spaces. Naturally the closest one to Chris and Andrew's will be the winner. We will take some surveillance equipment with us to start getting readings and to put things in offices we may not get back into once we are on our own. Then tonight pizza and we finish setting up the computers in the apartment."

"Very good Sir."

" You should probably stop with the Sir thing. I mean when we're in public you're going to have to call me James so why not practice by calling me Jack?"

"Of course S- Jack."

" That's better." Jack smiled and went back to reading.

They pulled up to the Arc Executive Suites building five minutes early. They left the car in circular driveway and were let in by a doorman who was obviously expecting them. " Do I want to know how much this place is setting us back?" Jack whispered as they wandered into the marble lobby. Jack was wearing a green sweater, white t shirt and jeans underneath his bomber jacket. Ianto had dressed down as well. He was wearing a black jacket, white button down, jeans and sneakers. It had taken Jack aback when he had first shown up this morning. It was the same outfit Ianto wore when he asked him for a job. It was a good look for him. A look Jack thought about carefully from time to time. They each carried a shoulder bag with the most sensitive files and equipment.

"Let's say next time Owen does the medical order we're going with generics." Jack gulped. A well dressed man in his fifties walked out of the manager's office.

"Mr Scott, Mr Lloyd, Welcome to Arc Suites. I'm Mr English. The moving staff will handle your remaining luggage while we finish signing the paperwork." The door man took the car keys and George escorted the new tenants into the office. As Ianto finished signing the short term, paid up front, six month lease, Mr English gave Jack the building access fobs and keys to the apartment. "Everything appears to be in order, Let me show you to your residence." He stood and began moving towards the elevator.

"Sounds good, Come on Will." Jack and Ianto followed. English stepped into the lift and tapped his fob before selecting a floor.

"Once your identity has been verified you can move about between floors easily. However, without one of these you cannot get past the main lobby unless escorted by a member of the staff."

"Very Secure" Ianto commented.

"Unfortunately we have had to heighten our vigilance in the past few months. There has been an increase in crime in the neighborhood."

"Things he tells us after we pay." Jack joked. English looked unimpressed. Jack sheepishly looked at Ianto who just rolled his eyes.

The manager got Ianto to try the keys in the front door to make sure they worked. The three entered the flat to find all the bags neatly lined up against the wall as well as a small paper with a map and instructions for retrieving their car from the underground parking. The main living space, divided into sitting and dining areas, was directly in front to them. The kitchen was a quick right and there was a closet on the left behind the door. Once you stepped into the main space there was a hallway going side to side. One bedroom and the bathroom was to the left, the other bedroom to the right.

"As specified each bedroom suite is equipped with a computer desk and a queen sized bed in addition to a dresser and night stand. The suits you ordered were delivered this morning and are currently in the hall closet since we did not want to assume which room would be for Mr Scott." They nodded in agreement. Ianto stepped forward and shook Mr English's hand.

"Thank you for all your help, now if you'll excuse us James has a meeting at two and we would like to get a few things unpacked first." The manager nodded and left the flat. Once they heard the elevator arrive and close Jack pulled the secure phone out of Ianto's bag and sent off the one word text to indicate they had arrived. Ianto moved from room to room scanning for security equipment.

" We're clear. Nothing out of the ordinary just the usual keypad and siren alarm system. Which room do you want?" Jack thought about it briefly

" I'll take left, you near the kitchen means quicker access to coffee." As if on cue Ianto pulled a bag of his special blend out of his shoulder bag. He looked at his watch.

"I probably have time to make a pot if you would like? It will be ready by the time you are dressed." Jack smiled "Your suits are over there, and no, you do not want to know what I spent on those either." Jack moved to the hall closet, grabbed the suits and his duffel and headed down the hall. Once the coffee was brewing Ianto grabbed his bags and got changed himself. By the time he was ready Jack was already in the kitchen. He had picked the pinstripe suit with a bright blue shirt and grey tie to put under it. He had brushed his hair into a slightly less tussled style. He was leaning against the counter reading the complimentary newspaper they would be receiving every morning. It was a good thing he wasn't facing Ianto or else he would have seen the young man stop dead in his tracks. His breath hitched in his throat as he drank in the new look. He flushed in embarrassment and shook it off just in time. Jack put the paper down and looked up.

"Clean up good don't I?" He winked and passed a mug of coffee and piece of the paper to Ianto. " We've got about twenty minutes and I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about traffic." Ianto looked out the window to where the Paradiso loomed. " Thanks for the suits by the way, they fit great." He commented off handidly as he went back to his reading.

" No problem, Jack." Ianto wasn't quite sure what he was feeling but he was pretty sure this assignment just got a lot more complicated.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N Sorry for all the tech issues yesterday! hopefully this one goes up on the first shot!

Disclaimer: I do not own torchwood or anything else here.

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They walked across the street to arrive exactly at two. Lucy Pride, a red head in her late twenties, was waiting for them outside. For the very modern concept she was selling, she was the picture of old school professionalism in her navy skirt suit and heels with her hair in a French twist. Jack made the first move.

"Ms Pride? James Scott. Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice." He flashed the trademark Harkness smile in an effort to disarm her. She shook his hand flashing a demure smile back. "This is my assistant William Lloyd." Ianto stepped forward and shook her hand.

"Not a problem at all. I have several spaces available at the moment that I feel would be appropriate for your operations." They entered the lobby where they saw a touch screen directory. Ianto reached into his pants pocket and palmed a hard drive reader.

"So does this directory have every company in the building listed?" He placed his hand with the reader on the side of console and felt the small vibration that indicated the device had connected successfully.

"Yes, it holds the company name, general contact information and their location in the building complete with a small map." Lucy went on to give a demonstration using an architect's office on the fourth floor. By the time she accessed the map, the hard drive reader vibrated again to show it had completed the download. Ianto put his hands back in his pockets and nodded at Jack as if the directory had thoroughly impressed him. They got into the elevator to go tour the office spaces available. They stepped out on the third floor. Ms Pride ushered them over to the reception area. The space was full of leather couches, chairs and benches with carefully placed small circular tables holding magazines for the clients to browse while they waited. At the back wall was a large workstation for the two receptionists. As Ianto listened to Lucy's spiel on the benefits of shared antechamber and lobby facilities Jack made his way over to the young man and older woman manning the phones.

"I don't know how you guys do it! So many companies on a single floor how do you know who is calling for whom?" He smiled and looked at both people trying to see who was going to bite.

"It's simple Sir," the older woman started "It pops up on the computer each time."

"Really? Can I observe? I'm thinking of getting an office here so I'd really like to know what I'm putting you through.." Jack trailed off hoping to get her name

"Rose, sir." The younger man put his headset down and walked off with a file.

"Rose, you know I've always loved that name." He leaned over the desk "Can I sit with you Rose?" Rose visibly flushed.

"Well I suppose until Eric gets back." Jack grinned and walked around the desk to take the unoccupied chair. He flirted a little more and asked a couple of questions about the basics of the telephone system. When Rose got a call he placed a small clear sticker on the underside of Eric's half of the desk. It would record conversations as well as give him the numbers of everyone who called in. Ianto had placed a similar sticker on the back of a leather chair across the room while discussing furniture options for their office with Lucy. The young male receptionist reappeared giving Jack the perfect excuse to return to his party.

The first few options they were shown were on the opposite end of the floor from the victims' old offices. Jack and Ianto aimed to appear interested but non-committal. Their host was starting to get frustrated. "I have a unit on the north side of the building but it is very similar to these so I'm not sure if you would be interested."

" You never know, worth a shot." The three made their way to the opposite end of the building. They ended up three doors down from Andrew's office meaning they were around the corner from Chris'. Jack looked out the window. "Hey Will, I can see our house from here!" Ianto walked over to the window and looked up. Sure enough they were able to look from their flat into their office. "By the way did our breakfast meeting confirm?" That was the signal that Jack thought this was the right place.

"Yes but the vodka company wants to move things tonight to six." Ianto used his agreement code.

"Ah we should probably take them up on that." Jack turned back around "Lucy I think we have a winner here. Where do I sign?"

When they were back in the flat they got to work setting up the computers. Ianto walked into Jack's room holding pizza as the captain was on his back under the desk trying to plug in some of the cables.

"Dinner's arrived. Want to eat in here?"

" Nah, I'll be out in a second. Or the computer will be out the window. Either way I'll want food." Ianto took the pizza and set it on the dining room table. He then pulled two beers out of the fridge, put there courtesy of the Arc welcoming committee, and opened them putting one at each place. Jack walked out in his white under-shirt and jeans. Ianto was still in his dress shirt and suit pants. Jack sat down and noticed the beer. "One step ahead of me eh Ianto Jones?" He took a swig.

"I do my best sir." Ianto took the first sip of his as well as a bite of pizza "So we have a listing of all the companies meaning I can compile a full map of the tower. That should give us an idea of who we might be dealing with."

" The bugs are going to be linked to the office computers so we'll be able to listen to the daily goings on while we're 'working'. But I also want to get to know a few of the neighbors tomorrow. Maybe get a few into the other offices if we think it is warranted." Jack added. "We need things for around here too. It would be nice to have some snacks and stuff."

"Well I can head to the shops tomorrow. That seems like something in my jurisdiction as the assistant. The usual donuts, jammy dodgers and scotch?"

"Wow, when you say it out loud I'm really surprised I'm not 400 pounds."

"Believe me, so are the rest of us."

"I just happen to have an excellent metabolism" Jack said through a mouthful of pizza.

"I'm sure running after weevils five nights a week helps too. You should sell it as a fitness plan." Ianto's eyes sparkled with sarcasm. Jack smirked. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a light go on in their office in the Paradiso. Ianto saw Jack's expression change and followed his eye line. " Should I?"

"No. Let's just wait. Could be a cleaner for all we know. Keep eating, if they see you twisted around they'll know we are watching." A tall man in a baseball cap and a leather jacket came into view. He looked through the drawers of both desks as well as the closet. He threw his hands up in aggravation before shutting the lights and leaving.

"Whoever it is, they haven't found what they are looking for yet." Jack finished his beer. "Back to work."


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry for the delays, Life Happened. Happy Valentine's day everyone!

Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its characters belong to RTD and the BBC.

* * *

Jack was never much of a sleeper. The only time he managed a full seven or eight hours was when he hadn't slept for days beforehand. Most nights it was four hours tops. Ianto had crashed about midnight. It was three in the morning before drowsiness started to hit the captain. He shut down the computer and headed to the kitchen to put his coffee mug in the sink. He wasn't normally this tidy but figured if he was sharing space with 'The poster child for OCD' as Owen put it, he should be considerate. He rinsed out the mug before deciding he was thirsty and filling it with cold water. His ears perked up at the sound of struggling. A muffled "No" came from the second bedroom. Jack reached into the drawer next to the sink where they had stashed his weebly and moved quickly but silently to the door. It was slightly ajar. Jack's heart began to race. He heard Ianto call his name and instinctively kicked the door open and pointed the gun into the room.

There was no threat there. Just Ianto, on the bed, thrashing and crying out in his sleep. Jack exhaled and placed the revolver on the desk. He walked over and placed his hands firmly on Ianto's upper arms to still him. "Ianto! Ianto wake up buddy. You're ok." After a minute or so of repeating this and rubbing the younger man's arms Ianto settled down and opened his eyes.

" Jack? What happened?"

" You were having one hell of a nightmare by the looks of it." Ianto nodded. "Want to talk?"

"Not particularly." Ianto looked down. By glancing down he suddenly remembered he was only in his boxers. He pulled the blanket up to his armpits. "Sorry." Jack smiled, He had noticed the lack of clothing as soon as he registered that they were not in danger, and hadn't minded at all. But Ianto was vulnerable enough already without him getting flirty.

"Don't apologize; I was the one who barged in gun drawn. Actually you need to stop apologizing so much in general."

"Sorry." Jack pointed at him sternly before they both smiled. He patted Ianto's shoulder "Get some rest. I'm down the hall if you change your mind." He stood and left closing the door behind him. Ianto sat there for a minute wanting to follow but not quite sure why. He gave up trying to figure it out as sleep overtook him again.

Jack had completely intended to go back and sleep in his own bed. Instead, he grabbed the duvet and a pillow and set up camp on the couch in the living room, just in case Ianto changed his mind. When he woke up again a few hours later there was a cup of coffee and a note on the side table indicating the Welshman had decided to head out early for the shopping. With no one to talk to and not much information to sift through Jack figured it was as good a time as any to go into the office.

Jack borrowed a dolly from the maintenance crew and took a few boxes of office wares over to the Paradiso. He got off the Elevator at the third floor, gave a flirty good morning to Rose and the ever stoic Eric and headed down the hall. He was halfway through setting up the work stations when he reached a point where he needed a small screwdriver. A small screwdriver that he had purposefully left at the flat. It was time to go exploring. He discovered right away that the offices on either side of him were empty. The office across the hall was occupied, but no one was in. Jack noticed an open door next to the office that Tosh's research told him had belonged to Andrew the financial planner. He peaked in to see a thin man playing a racing video game at his desk. He knocked startling the gamer. " Sorry I hope I'm not interrupting your work?" Jack asked uncertainly. The office owner stood revealing himself to be a rather tall man. He had about an inch on the Captain.

"It actually is my job, but that one was just for fun." He stretched out his hand "Caleb Allan, game designer."

"James Scott, Event promoter. I just moved in two doors down. I was wondering if you had a small Phillips head screwdriver I could borrow? Seem to have lost mine in the move."

"Erm, yeah it's here somewhere." Caleb rustled through a couple of drawers before finding a purple screwdriver and passing it to Jack. " Need a hand with whatever your doing?"

"Don't think I will, but if you're bored you can come hang out I don't mind." Jack started back towards their unit, Caleb following not far behind.

"Thanks, I'm waiting on an email telling me how my client wants me to proceed on the next level of their game. I'm going a little stir crazy." The programmer sat in a chair off to the side. " Plus it's far too quiet around here these days." Jack was attaching a computer monitor to its turning stand when his ears perked up.

" Yeah I was surprised we got in so quickly. I thought this floor was full?"

"It was. But then that crime wave that they've been talking about in the papers hit. Two guys on this floor got killed, muggings gone bad they say. After that, people stopped coming in as much or left all together." Caleb's mobile phone beeped. "About bloody time! Just bring that back when you're done yeah? I finally have some work to do." Jack nodded as he left.

About 15 minutes later Jack walked back over to Caleb's office. Sure enough the racing game had been replaced with a screen of code. He knocked once before entering. " Thanks again man." Caleb waved at him mumbling the code he had just written under his breath. Jack put the screwdriver down on the desk and turned to leave. He noticed a jacket hanging on the coat rack. " Nice Jacket. Leather?" Caleb glanced up.

" Oh that? Yeah I've had it since college. Most people don't even notice it."

" Let's just say I have a thing for coats. Can I take a look?" Caleb nodded and went back to his screen. Jack walked over to the coat rack and touched the sleeve. It definitely looked like the coat he saw the intruder wearing the other night. Jack pulled out a small tracking device and with one last look to make sure he was still coding stuck it to the underside of a strap around the wrist. "Good stuff. Well I'll leave you to it. Later mate."

That evening back at the flat they were working in Jack's room. Ianto was doing a background check on Caleb while Jack read the victims files over again looking for the connection. "Other than the building there is nothing linking them. But there has to be a piece we're missing. Any luck with Caleb?"

" Nothing out of the ordinary so far. Good grades, games get good reviews. I'll keep looking." They read in silence for a bit. Jack started tapping his pen against the edge of the file folder. " Can you try not to do that? It's bugging me."

" Right, sorry." The quiet was short lived before Jack started tapping again completely unaware he was doing it. Ianto cleared his throat and Jack stopped again with another sheepish apology. He lasted a whole five minutes that time before he started again. This time the tapping was met with a pillow to the head. " Hey!" Jack looked up at Ianto who appeared not to have moved.

"Sorry? Something happen?"

" Yeah. A temporal spacial shift. Something like this!" Jack threw the pillow back hitting Ianto in the back of the head.

" Huh, interesting. Maybe it is drawn to repetitive annoying tapping." Ianto smirked. He picked up his mug off the desk "I'm wanting a coffee. I'm tempted to cut you off if you keep jittering like that though."

"Then I'll just have to beat you to it!" Jack grabbed his mug and leapt off the bed. Ianto, realizing what was going on scrambled a bit on the hardwood floor in his socked feet before picking up enough speed to almost catch him. He grabbed hold of the back of Jack's t-shirt in an attempt to pull him back. They both slammed into the counter top at the same time, Jack first then Ianto against his back. They stayed that way for a moment, laughing and leaning on each other. Realization dawned as to the intimate space they were sharing and Ianto pulled back. Jack turned around slightly disappointed. The closeness had been nice.

"Well you win this time. Caffeine continues." He said putting the professional mask back on. He felt that confusion again. That burst of energy that seemed to hit him every time they had one of these more intimate moments. He grabbed the mugs and started pouring. He handed one to Jack who thanked him before going back to his reading. When he was alone in the kitchen Ianto exhaled in an effort to shake off the feelings he wasn't sure he was ready for.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N Thanks for all the follows, favourites and reviews! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up tomorrow if the plot bunnies co-operate.

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters are not mine.

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Caleb looked at the clock, It was 1:22am. In eight minutes the night guard would do his hourly walk around the third floor which meant that in twelve minutes he could get to work. He minimized the code he was writing and pulled up the list of third floor tenants. In the two weeks since Chris' death he had gotten through about 80 percent of them. Tonight he was checking the one across from Jack and Ianto's office. It belonged to a travel writer who hadn't been in the building for a month. It was a long shot but he was getting desperate. He saw the older guard pass his door, that meant four minutes. He put on his jacket and grabbed his baseball cap. He pulled up another window on his computer, this one held the feed for the hallway security cameras. He watched the security guard leave the wing and then clicked a button. This meant until he was finished all they would see at the security desk would be a loop of completely empty corridor. He pulled on the hat and left his office. He walked down the hall to the target of tonight's search. The offices were all locked and opened with proximity cards. While this looked impressive it meant that if you knew something software and coding, you could hack into the system and give yourself access to every room in the building. Caleb swiped his way into the travel writer's office and began looking around. He checked the closet, feeling around for any suspicious holes or seams. He went through the filing cabinet and sitting area after that. When he was rifling through the desk drawers He heard the click of a gun and felt a hand on his shoulder "Lose something?" Caleb froze at the familiar voice "Hands behind your head Caleb, we need to talk." He did as he was told and was guided to stand and turn around. Jack was aiming his gun at the intruder while Ianto watched the door.

"James? Will? What are you doing?"

" I think you lost the right to ask the questions when you started breaking into random offices." Jack kept his eyes locked on the prisoner He gestured with his head to one of the chairs. " Sit down" Caleb moved towards a desk chair. Ianto moved behind it and cuffed his hands behind him as he sat. "So what's the deal Caleb? Decided you needed inspiration to make your games a little more realistic? Or maybe you've been living the high life and the money's gone? I bet you Chris' car got you enough to get by for a week or two. How about his laptop? What happened to it?"

"What? No! I didn't kill Chris he was my friend!" Of all the ways this plan could have gone wrong getting accused of the murders had never crossed Caleb's mind. "Are you guys cops?" His eyes moved between the two men holding guns in his face.

"Nope, think bigger and badder. Chris worked with us and we need that laptop back." Jack got closer. "And we can be really mean about it."

"Look I don't know where it is but I'll do anything you want as long as you don't let them get me next."

"What makes you think you're next?" Ianto asked, he was starting to think maybe Caleb wasn't just playing coy.

"Because I bought the damn thing with them. I was the fourth investor. I've been trying to give it back but I don't know where Chris put it!"

"Give what back?" Jack stood up again. They may have caught the wrong guy but he was beginning to look like the first step towards the right one.

"The statue. The one we won at the auction." Jack and Ianto shared a look. When Jack nodded Ianto moved to undo the handcuffs.

"Alright Caleb, the good news is I believe you. In fact, if you tell us everything you know we might even be able to help you." Caleb rubbed his wrists to sooth them from the pinching they have received from the cuffs "But," Jack continued "If I stop believing you, it will be worse than you can imagine. " He walked to the door and looked out. " Let's go. We can't stay in here, Fred will be by for another lap soon."

The three men moved down to the pub on the corner. The building wasn't safe for this conversation and Jack didn't want to let him into the flat until he knew what was going on. "Allright, what's the story?"

" Chris, Andrew, Jeff and I were mates. Jeff and Chris had known each other vaguely since university and Andrew and I met them when we all moved our offices into the tower. One night, we were sitting around, having a couple of pints and lamenting our bad luck in everything but business." Caleb took a sip of the beer Ianto had bought him. "No one really goes for the nerdy types around here. Sure they like us while we're buying the rounds but they prefer the posh guys. So then it hit us: what if we opened a bar for people like us? We figured we would hire someone else to run it for us, Andrew would handle the money, Jeff and I would handle the designs and advertising and Chris would do all the buying. He was a huge shopaholic, always collecting things and hiding them away just in case."

" You said the four of you bought something before all of this started?" Jack prompted.

" We had thought to put film props and other odd looking things around the bar, you know, make it cool looking. Chris found this sculpture online. Giant diamond shaped metal thing. It was a bit pricier than the rest of the stuff we were buying. It would cost us between 400 and 600 pounds each he figured."

"Do you have a picture?" Caleb shook his head

"The only picture we ever saw was the one on the ad. But it looked amazing. It was going to be the centrepiece behind one of the bars. So Chris went ahead and bid. It was intense! There was another bidder always on our tail. By the time the auction was over we were spending about 850 each but we didn't care because it was ours. It was shipped to Jeff's office. When it arrived we got out a bottle of champagne and toasted the bloody thing." He finished his pint and was quiet for a long time. He eventually looked over at Ianto. "Jeff was dead two days later. Carjacked outside the green grocers."

" And you think it was the other bidders?" Ianto signaled the waitress to get the tall man another.

" We didn't at first. But then Jeff and Andrew's offices both got trashed. Like someone was looking for something. Chris started getting desperate emails, offering us lots of money to buy the thing off of us. We knew we had something special before but now, we figured it could get us press, a real launching pad for the bar. Chris said he knew a perfect place to keep it safe in the meantime. He had a storage unit he kept all his prized pieces in. So we agreed to leave it there until the opening."

"Then they got Andrew?" Jack was putting the pieces together.

"Outside his apartment, two blocks that way." Caleb gestured down the street, the building was about four blocks total away from the Paradiso. "I panicked. I told Chris we had to go to the police. He said no, that it would just look like a coincidence. We didn't have any threats on paper so there wasn't anything they would be able to do. He swore that everything would be fine. I begged him to give me the location of his locker. Even just the company name in case anything happened. He didn't want to tell me in case I freaked and tried to get there without him. But, he promised he would leave directions to the location somewhere in Paradiso in case something happened to him and I needed to get to it. Now he's gone and I can't find it! The killers have tracked us to the building and I can't figure out who they are or how to stop them." He looked from Jack to Ianto " I'm getting that you aren't who you said you are. But you still seem like the best hope of stopping this." He focused on Jack " You need to help me."

"We will." Jack swore. "Tonight, we'll take you back to your place make sure you get in and are safe. You gather everything you have. Emails, Bar plans, receipts of giving Chris the money, anything. We'll be at work tomorrow like nothing happened. Give it to us there. In the meantime we'll start coming up with a plan. This stops now."

Once they got back to the flat Ianto confirmed his suspicion "You don't think this is a simple art theft do you?" He took off his jacket, loosened his tie and flopped onto the couch.

"The design sounds familiar. I'll know once we find the auction site and get a look at it. If it's alien tech then that's a good news bad news scenario." Jack sat down next to him. "Good news because we'll probably know how to deal with it, bad news because once they open that laptop they would know who we are and that we are after them."

"What about Caleb? What do we do with him? I hate to sound like Gwen but we can't just leave him as soon as we get what we want." Jack sighed heavily

" I know, we'll help him the best way we can once we know what we're dealing with. He lost people he shared a real connection with." He made sure he was looking in Ianto's eyes "Those connections are very rare."

"True" Ianto breathed quietly; for once he fought the urge to look away. Eventually he blinked and thought twice. "I think I'm going to go to bed." He got up but tripped and landed back down on the couch, this time as close as he could be to Jack without actually being in his lap. He tried to laugh but no sounds came out. " I guess I should try that again. Goodnight Jack." He was about to attempt to get up again when Jack put a hand on his leg stopping him. Ianto looked at him, half questioning, half hoping.

"Goodnight Ianto" Jack leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on the lips. He pulled back just enough to check if that was ok. After a moment Ianto moved towards him and gave a similar, but longer kiss before getting up and successfully navigating his way to his room. He turned slightly as he was crossing the threshold.

"Sweet dreams Sir." He closed the door as Jack sat there in awe that something so simple could make him feel so much.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N Sorry for the delay and the shortness of this chapter, sick husband who then got me sick equals less writing. Hoping to make it up to you this weekend with multiple updates!

Disclaimer: Torchwood and all recognizable characters belong to the BBC.

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Jack and Ianto walked into their office promptly at nine the next morning. As the computers booted up they heard a timid knock at the door. It had to be Caleb, no one else had any reason to be so nervous. Ianto opened the door to find they had assumed correctly. The tall man carried a large manila envelope and appeared not to have slept since they had parted company.

"Hi, Will?" Caleb asked, unsure how he should address Ianto.

"Morning Caleb, would you like to come in? Can I get you a coffee?" He tried to put their star witness at ease.

"I can't. I have a deadline. But I wanted to make sure you and, um, James had this." He handed the envelope to Ianto. "It's everything I have." Jack stood and crossed to the door taking the envelope and looking inside.

"That should be enough to get us started. We'll come see you if we have any questions." Caleb nodded and moved quickly down the hall towards the safety of his office. Ianto went to the small counter that held the subpar coffee machine and poured two mugs. He crossed to the dual desks and placed one in front of Jack

"Industrial strength." He smirked sitting at his computer and pulling up the overnight call logs for the third floor. "I didn't sleep much."

"Thanks" Jack took a sip of the life saving roast. "Me neither" He started pulling papers out of the envelope. "Totally your fault."

"You started it."

"That a problem?" Jack arched an eyebrow to hide his fear that he might not like answer. Ianto looked up from the computer and smiled.

"Not at all." The Captain returned the smile. They worked quietly for about fifteen minutes before he looked across the desk at the Welshman.

"So you're good? No questions about what this means for you, us, the team?" This time Ianto didn't look up. He was going to keep the mask on, play it cool.

"Nope." He could sense that wasn't enough of an answer. "Jack, I meant it every time I told Owen that I didn`t care about your past, what you did or who you did it with. If I don't feel it's necessary to label myself or who I fancy then why should I worry about you?" He glanced up to see if it was working. Jack was beaming.

"So you fancy me huh?" The shyness Ianto was trying hard not to show suddenly washed his face in a blush. He retracted his gaze back to the call logs.

"I think we should get back to work." He reached across the desk and took the emails Jack had sorted out "I'll see what I can find on this email address, you focus on the auction site." Jack nodded and grabbed the pile of bank statements. He looked through each one until he saw the payment for the auction house. From there he was able to use the reference code to access a cached copy of the statue's advertisement. Jack zoomed in on the photo and let out a low groan. "I knew it."

"Alien?" Ianto walked around to see the other screen. The metal diamond that Caleb described was made of many thin layers put together to make a three dimensional shape. There was writing on it as well, to Ianto it looked like really elaborate cursive, but the words were definitely not English. "preferably peaceful?"

"Don't know about the second bit but yes, definitely alien. A Wensprot data pod. It is the ultimate in secure transmission about three centuries and two planets from here."

"What does it hold?"

"Anything: Maps, photos, letters. Whatever it is though it is very important and they definitely will want it back. Any luck with the emails?"

"I'm trying my best, but they are all from free email providers. Nothing is linked to an ISP or anything which makes them pretty much impossible to trace. Well unless you are Tosh."

"So call her." Ianto looked at him surprised and slightly confused.

"Is that the best idea? What about the no contact, no links thing?"

"My team, my rules. Besides, we're event co-ordinators right? Who says we can't have a meeting with a client?" He pulled out the mobile they had been using for daily updates and messaged for Tosh to meet them at the office the next morning. "Even if we figure out who wants this it won't do us a lick of good if we can't find it. We have to find that storage unit. The bank statements don't have any clues. He was a big cash guy."

"Caleb said he left a clue somewhere around here. More detailed plans of the building would probably help. We should see if we can get to Lucy's computer."

"Great Idea, I'll go talk to her." Jack stood to leave Ianto put a hand on his shoulder and shook his hea.d

"Not a good idea. I should probably do it." The captain looked at him puzzled. With a sigh Ianto told the truth "She doesn't like you."

" What? How do you know?"

"She told me. When I had to go downstairs to sign for the coffee machine. She said she had no idea how I put up with you for so long. She thinks you're an arrogant arse." He pulled the hard drive reader out of the desk drawer. Jack stayed in his chair but turned to watch him head for the door.

"And what did you say?" Ianto turned and looked him in the eye.

"I said you weren't an arse." He winked and departed as Jack tried to decide if he was insulted, impressed or both.


	9. Chapter 8

A/N Look! it's an update exactly when I promised it ! Aren't you proud of me? Thanks for the lovely reviews and Hello to all the new followers. Hope you guys like this one!

Disclaimer: It's all for fun, I don't want money and none of it is mine anyways.

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Lucy had been happy to receive Ianto's request for a meeting that afternoon. Though he hadn't been in the building long, he was becoming one of her favourite clients. They both seemed to appreciate the concept of good manners in business and always being professional. It would be even better as soon as his cocky business partner went back to New York. That was set to happen when they resigned their lease in five months, if they did resign. She glanced over at the pile of lease terminations sitting at the edge of her desk and sighed. They had gone from the hot new business locale to 40% vacancy in less than two months. The police were no help at all, they chalked it all up to bad luck and random crime. But considering a good chunk of her tenants were creative types they disagreed, they felt the building was cursed. It also didn't help that someone on the cleaning staff obviously had a curious streak. There had been several complaints of drawers being rifled through or closets being disturbed, nothing missing though. She wrote a note in her calendar to call the maintenance manager and have a word. An email pop up from her assistant alerted her to Ianto's arrival. She looked at her clock, five minutes early, perfectly prompt. She checked her hair, stood and straightened her suit before replying that Melissa could send him in. The door opened revealing the polished young man with a file folder under one arm. "Ms Pride, thank you for seeing me." She stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Of course Mr Lloyd, always a pleasure to speak to you. Coffee? Tea?" She gestured for him to take the seat in front of her desk.

" No thank you I'm fine, Just had a cup upstairs." Lucy nodded at the young woman still standing in the doorway to indicate her presence was no longer necessary. The door closed quietly.

"I hope our facilities are living up to yours and Mr Scott's expectations? Any issues?"

"None at all, in fact I'm here to offer you something." She looked at him across the desk puzzled. "Lucy, May I call you Lucy?" She nodded "Lucy between us, James and I haven't been having the best of luck getting our name out on the London scene. It seems that business relationships here aren't as transient as in New York. No one wants to give the new gents a shot, they have their providers and they are sticking with them." Lucy nodded sympathetically, she had heard the same speech a number of times from people vacating their offices and giving up on their businesses. "Now at the same time, and I apologize in advance if you feel this is not my place to say anything, there has been a noticeable decline in the profile of Paradiso Tower. It's not your fault, I know. But I'm hoping we can turn two negatives into a positive." Ianto pulled a document out of his folder and passed it to her. It was a proposal and quote for a benefit. While Lucy read over the document, Ianto leaned the hard drive reader against the back of her computer tower out of sight.

"William, I don't quite understand. You want to host an event here?"

"Technically you would be the one hosting it. You would be the major sponsor of a charity cocktail party for the local neighbourhood watch association. It would show you as a concerned landlord and give more people a chance to see exactly what this place has to offer. The guest list would be exclusive, giving all parties an opportunity to see and be seen by the best in the city." She looked intrigued but not impressed. "And the best part is, our promotions firm would pay for 50 percent of the expenses, as a good will gesture." Now she was impressed. Ianto saw the drive reader flash to signal it was done. "So if you look at the bottom line on page three" Lucy flipped pages as he retrieved the device. "You can see it is a very reasonable proposition."

"It is a very creative solution to both our problems." She admitted. "I still have to take it to the rest of the board but I can tell you it has my full support."

"Wonderful." He stood to leave and shook her hand. "Do let me know as soon as you reach a decision. The sooner we know, the sooner we can begin." Ianto exited the office and headed back to the third floor. Now he just had to figure out how to pull it off if she said yes.

After Ianto went to bed was one of the main times Jack missed being at the Hub. There was always something to distract him there. What he wouldn't give for a rift alert to be in front of his face instead of late night TV. He had found a movie about a giant shark attacking a nuclear sub. Sadly it was too awful to be intriguing but not awful enough to be funny. It was just bad. His ears perked up as he heard Ianto mumbling and moaning in his sleep. It sounded like another nightmare. Jack wasn't sure if he should go in or not, but decided to at least peak in the door. The small beam of light from the open door illuminated the shirtless sleeping man's face. He looked like he was in pain. That made Jack's decision for him. He walked over to the bed and knelt down. " Ianto? Ianto it's Jack, You're having a bad dream." The words didn't work so he leaned forward and caressed his cheek. "Ianto, wak-" A fist connected with Jack's face sending him falling back against the dresser with a loud thud. The crash and Jack's subsequent groan were enough to jolt Ianto out of his dream.

"Jack! Oh god! I am so sorry! Are you alright?" He scrambled out of bed and moved to help Jack up.

"I'm fine, really." He touched his jaw "Hell of a hook, remind me to put hand to hand combat skills in your file."

"It's already there, I entered my file into the system remember?" He pulled Jack to his feet.

"Oh yeah. Now, to the living room. I want to know what made you slug me." Jack went to the kitchen and grabbed two beers while Ianto tossed on a t-shirt over his pyjama pants. He was sitting on the couch looking like a kicked puppy. Jack sat next to his young friend " I'm not mad. I just want to know what you keep dreaming about. That's the second time in the three weeks we've been here that I've had to wake you up from something that looks pretty hellish. So what is it Ianto?"

" The worst day of my life." He took a big swig of beer.

"Canary Warf?" Ianto shook his head. "Lisa in the hub." This time he nodded.

"Every part of my life was destroyed. The past, The present, The future. Yet, all I can see is how much worse it could have been. I see you, Tosh, Gwen and Owen being put in that machine, becoming like Lisa. Or I see her electrocuting you or-" He drained his bottle as if he was trying to wash the images away. "I don't know how you keep me around. I ruin everything."

"Are you kidding me? I told you when we left that you are far more capable than any of us give you credit for. I believe that now more than ever." This time it was Jack's turn to drink for courage "You are not the only person who has done things they regret. Not the only one who sees the 'what was' and 'what ifs' whenever they close their eyes." He put an arm around Ianto and pulled him close. Jack felt a head fall onto his shoulder.

"So what do I do?"

"Distraction mainly, some people work, some drink, anything to keep the brain from getting too quiet. It will fade, in time, and it will flare up when you least expect it. But you will move forward Ianto Jones. If for no other reason except you have no choice." He felt the head shift and looked down to see blue eyes beaming up at him. Ianto moved his hand up and pulled Jack's face closer. He kissed the older man slowly, deliberately. Jack gently opened his mouth to allow him in and ran his fingers through Ianto's hair. After a few minutes they pulled apart both knowing they wanted more. Jack stood and offered his hand to the adorably dishevelled younger man. Ianto looked at him puzzled but took it and stood. Jack started leading him towards his room. "Jack?" The Captain turned around, grabbed Ianto by the waist and pulled him in for another kiss. He answered all his questions by whispering one word in Ianto's ear.

"Distraction"


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: This one is shorter than I expected, but the point that I ended it on just seemed right. I honestly heard the TW scene change music in my head, no jokes. Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews. I hope I have gotten back to everyone who I can.

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Waking up in Jack's bed was something that had moved from the 'no way in hell' list in Ianto's brain to the 'nice thought but never going to happen' list so subtly that he couldn't actually remember when it happened. He had always felt more comfortable around Jack than anyone else on the team which made all the time he spent hiding Lisa and slinking around the Hub feel like even more of a betrayal. He fought against the images and feelings that were threatening to crowd his mind. All was forgiven, they were working on things there was no need to go there. Another thought entered his head, since when did he think of him and Jack as a they?

Jack had been awake for an hour or so, but just didn't have the heart to move apart from grabbing his PDA from the bedside table. Ianto was wrapped around his torso with his head on Jack's chest. The night before had been pretty heavy, why not let the kid rest. He knew if he ever called him a kid out loud he would have a very angry Welshman on his hands, but it was the truth. He was so young. He especially looked it right now. When he awoke, put on the suit he wore as emotional armour and the pressure of everything he had done or would do settled on his mind again, he would look older. This job shortened lives, one way or another. That feeling of dread that always hit Jack when he thought about what someone meant to him tried to rise in his chest. He sighed as he shook it off. Not going there, not today, he thought. We're just a good team, that's all.

The deep sigh was enough to make Ianto finally give up on the idea of sleep. He opened his eyes and saw Jack glance from him, to the PDA, then back to him. "Don't tell me. You're playing solitaire."

"I prefer minesweeper actually. But I was looking at the blueprints you got out of Lucy's computer. I think I might have a few ideas of places to check for Chris' message." Ianto sat up as Jack turned the pda so they could both look at it. "There is a maintenance corridor that runs on the other side of the building from the office suites." Ianto nodded in understanding. He leaned over to grab his watch before remembering that it was at the other end of the apartment, where he was supposed to be sleeping. Jack noticed, "It's 8:40 by the way."

"Tosh's appointment is at 10. We should be getting ready." Ianto's underwear clad form hopped out of bed giving Jack a lovely view as he gathered his t-shirt and pyjama bottoms from where they landed the night before. There was no denying the man was gorgeous. The night before had been great, Jack definitely wouldn't mind it happening again. Ianto wouldn't mind either, but pride on both sides seemed to indicate they wouldn't be discussing the future that much.

Tosh exited the cab, made her way into the Paradiso and up to the third floor. She approached Eric at reception. "Hanna Song for James Scott" she asked questioningly. Eric nodded and typed something into the computer.

"Have a seat Ms Song, they will be out shortly." Tosh took a seat in the plush waiting room. She was intrigued to see how the two men were getting along. It had been three weeks since they had left the Hub, had they made much progress? There hadn't been any more murders which was good, but she really wanted justice for Chris. He had been a really good man, he didn't deserve to die that way, alone. Before she got too morose Ianto appeared. She fought the urge to give him anything more than a polite professional smile.

"Ms Song it is lovely to see you again. If you would like to follow me?" Tosh nodded as he led her to the suite. Once they were inside and the door was shut she dropped her bag and hugged both men.

"Hi! How are you? Oh my! Jack, that suit!" He did a slight model turn.

"Well if I have to dress like everyone else, might as well do it in the best duds. How's Cardiff?"

"Quiet thankfully. Mainly just weevils and a few low flying spacecrafts that were easy to head off. However, the sooner the two of you get back the better. I'm about read to kill Gwen and Owen." Jack laughed.

"Well hopefully whatever you can help us with today will move things forward." Jack briefed her on the case while Ianto got her the first decent cup of coffee she had seen since they left.

"Shouldn't be too difficult." Tosh opened up her laptop propping it on the edge of Jack's desk. "Webmail clients are hard to trace but not impossible. Not for me." Sure enough, within an hour she had their first major clue in days. "The messages are all being sent from public computers in this building. Never the same station twice though. The cafeteria on the main floor, waiting areas on floors 3,4 and 7. Whoever it is they have afterhours access.

"So it has to be an employee or someone who rents an office." Ianto deduced

"Except as Caleb proved, the security here isn't exactly top of the line." Jack pointed out. He paused briefly before it hit him. "We need fresh messages. It's time to answer some of these pleas."


	11. Chapter 10

A/N I have the next chapter partially written already so hopefully it will be up in the next day or so. Thanks again for all the reviews follows and favorites :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing and do this for fun.

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_We know what you are looking for._

Jack decided that was enough to get them started. He wanted to peak their interest without showing exactly how much he knew. "So what's step two Tosh?"

"I'm leaving you with the necessary software. When they email you back you'll hopefully be able to trace it back to the computer it was sent from. If you get enough messages we might be able to find a pattern."

"Maybe if we keep an eye on the entry logs, find out whose cards were used where?" Ianto added.

"You'll never see me turn down a good cross reference." Jack smirked. Both of his team mates rolled their eyes.

"The fact that you could make that sound dirty is mind boggling." Tosh looked at her watch "I have to get going if I'm going to catch the train back. Here are a few more coding and hacking programs you might find useful." She passed a USB stick to Ianto before giving him and Jack hugs. "And hopefully you'll be home soon." Jack put his suit jacket back on and walked her out. " You should probably try to give us a bit of notice before you two come back to the Hub though." Tosh added once Ianto was out of ear shot.

"Is it really that messy?"

"If he came back today I'm pretty sure he'd have a breakdown. They are worse than a couple of kids!" Jack laughed as they entered reception. While he was gone Ianto heard the telltale beep of an incoming email. He opened the reply to Jack's taunts.

_Then you know the options: Give it to us and you will be rewarded handsomely. Refuse and you will join the others._

He ran the tracking program and found that the message had been sent from an internet cafe five blocks away. There was no way he would make it there before the sender took off. If only they had Tosh's CCTV hack. Ianto looked down at the thumb drive on the desk and hoped. Sure enough that was one of the programs she left behind. He installed it and began to work on getting access to the cameras near the cafe when he heard a voice from the doorway

"Will? Got a minute?" It was Lucy.

"Yes, of course, How can I help?" He made sure the screen was locked on his computer before gesturing for her to take Tosh's recently vacated chair.

"It's about this fundraiser idea. The board loves it, they want to hold it as soon as possible. How long do you think you'll need? Two weeks?" Ianto's heart jumped into his throat but he kept his cool. He kept reminding himself that in Lucy's eyes, he was an expert. He did this all the time.

"It's possible, as long as we have your full support." Another idea flashed in his head "And afterhours access to the lounge areas would be helpful given the advanced timeline." Lucy heartily agreed as she passed over the already signed contracts that Ianto had made up for their meeting the previous day. They discussed a few more details before she realized she was late for her next appointment. Jack entered just as she rose to leave. She promptly thanked Ianto for his help and excused herself to Jack with cold professionalism. He closed the door behind her.

"Ok that time I saw it. She really doesn't like me does she?"

"Nope, but the data pod hunters do. They've already written you back. I'm checking the CCTV footage near the cafe where the email was sent to see what we can find." Jack opened the email again and arched an eyebrow at the threat. None of the other messages had hinted at violence, just money. Whoever this was they were getting desperate. He couldn't help but prod them further.

_Why is this thing worth killing for?_

They didn't get any more messages that day. This left them open for their other goal of the day: to find Chris' clue. The plan was Ianto would run point from the flat, using the blueprints of the maintenance halls as a guide. Jack would search the building and report his findings.

"You'll find the door between offices 305 and 307." Ianto told him over the coms. Jack found the door and used his swipe card, which Caleb had tweaked, to open it.

"Ok I'm in. No idea what I'm looking for here but I'm looking." Jack looked at the pipes and occasional electrical boxes carefully. The hall was a stark white except for safety colouring around the different pipes and wires.

"Maybe some sort of graffiti?"

"Not in a place like this, too likely to get cleaned up. I'm guessing it's going to be a physical clue. Something he could take with him if he ever found it." Jack shone a torch into the high corners and between pipes. "Though I am tempted to put up a 'for a good time call' message just to see what would happen."

"Give out Owen's number when you do it this time. I don't feel like screening heavy breathing phone calls off the office voicemail for a month again." Jack smirked.

"Jealous Ianto?"

"No Sir, just practical. It's hard to tell the difference between a frisky lorry driver and an angry UNIT officer with bad cell service." Ianto cringed remembering the time he got it wrong.

"You just aren't trying hard enough. Remind me to-" He heard an electric zap and Jack cry out before a muffled gurgling sound hit the coms. Ianto froze.

"Jack?" He asked quietly. He asked again, louder. "JACK!" when there was still no response he grabbed his gun, medical kit and his swipe card before bolting out of the room. He had to get to him quickly, or else.


	12. Chapter 11

A/N Solution to the cliffhanger! Some very mild spoilers for series 1 Doctor Who and _Everything Changes_ in Torchwood as we naturally get into the explanation of Jack's condition. Reviews always loved and appreciated, I write back as much as I can :)

Disclaimer: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and RTD.

* * *

Ianto ran across the street dodging cars. He didn't bother with the elevator, it would take too long. He raced up the stairs and around the corner to the maintenance door not even slowing to swipe his pass. He drew his gun and moved down the hallway quickly and silently. He rounded the corner to see his fear realized. Jack was collapsed on the ground, Pale, blood covering the right side of his shirt. He broke into a sprint and dropped to his knees next to the captain. He checked but there was no pulse. Ianto's heart broke for the second time in as many months. He fell back to a sitting position and pulled his knees up to his chest. He took a couple of deep breaths to center himself. There was time for mourning later, now he had to get Jack out of the building. He looked at his fallen mentor and became puzzled. He could see the path the blood had taken front his neck, but no wound. In fact it almost looked like he was getting some color back. Ianto approached cautiously. He was reaching to check for a pulse again when Jack gasped to life, Flailing and grasping at air. Ianto screamed and tried to move back but Jack had grabbed his arm. Jack's eyes met Ianto's in a combination of fear, shame and relief.

"Jack? You- I- you were-" Ianto couldn't form thoughts let alone sentences.

"I swear to God I'll explain." Jack sounded out of breath. "But we need to get out of here and you're going to need to help me up." The Welshman hopped to his feet and helped him up. With one arm around Ianto's shoulder for support they made their way out of the office tower without delay. Once they got back into the safety and security of the flat, They dropped Jack on the couch. Ianto got to work pulling the security camera footage from the Paradiso. He noticed something odd. There appeared to be no cameras in the maintenance halls. He could see people coming and going from the "employees only" door but nothing actually in the hall. He replaced the footage from the time he and Jack were investigating with clips of empty hallway they had saved earlier in the day. Jack meanwhile, now strong enough to move around on his own, had changed out of the bloodstained clothes and into a fresh t shirt and jeans. He came out of the kitchen with two cups of coffee. He put them down on the dining room table and tilted his head to invite Ianto to join him there. He sat first, allowing Ianto the option of sitting as close or far from him as he felt comfortable. The younger man took the farthest place, directly across the table from Jack.

"First of all, because I know you and I know what you are thinking, You did nothing wrong. I should have been more aware of my surroundings but I was too busy trying to impress you." Ianto tried to smile but could barely twitch his lips he was so nervous. "You didn't even get the diagnosis wrong, I was dead."

"Jack, you probably just hallucinated, you lost a lot of blood, though I can't tell from where." Ianto was still looking at his neck trying to find the wound that had long since vanished. He shook his head softly and continued.

"It wasn't a hallucination Ianto, I died. I can tell because this isn't the first time I've died." Jack looked for any hint of understanding on his face. "I can die, just like you, but I don't stay dead. I haven't been able to stay dead for about a hundred and thirty years." He stopped to let his words sink in. Ianto got up from the table and began to pace. A thousand little pieces of information suddenly made sense. All the jokes about dating famous people long since dead. His apparently endless knowledge of alien technology. The disappearing weevil bite the night they met. He turned to Jack with anger and astonishment fighting for supremacy on his face.

"Jack Harkness you bloody bastard! You preach about opening up. Lecture me that I hid myself from the team, that I betrayed you by not letting you in. All along you are hiding this? You are immortal and over a hundred and fifty years old? You fucking wanker!" Jack stood and tried to take him in his arms "Don't!" Ianto tried to twist free but Jack tried again and succeeded, grabbing him by both arms and staring back at angry eyes.

"You know why I didn't tell you? Because I'm tired of it. I don't like being this way. I don't like that look in peoples' eyes when they find out." Ianto's eyes began to soften. "Once someone finds out they never treat me the same again. If the wrong people find out then it puts others I care about in danger. The worst part is I don't even know how or why it happened. It's just the way I am." He looked into the other man's face once more before sitting on the couch in defeat. Ianto stayed standing still for a moment while he collected his thoughts.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Gwen." Ianto internally rolled his eyes, of course she did. "When Suzie tried to get away, Gwen saw her shoot me" Jack touched the spot between his eyes subconsciously before running his fingers through his hair. Ianto eventually crossed and sat on the couch. He was still having difficulty looking at Jack.

"How did you die the first time?"

"Dalek blast. In the year 200,100" Ianto turned to him wide eyed. Jack took his hand. "I may have not told you things, But I have never lied to you Ianto Jones, and I never will." Ianto squeezed his hand before getting up and gathering the coffee cups. Jack looked at him concerned but he merely gave his usual smirk.

"I'm going to need another one of these. I get the feeling this is not going to be a short story."


	13. Chapter 12

Jack draped the blanket over Ianto's sleeping form. They had moved to Ianto's room so Jack could use the computer to examine the security footage while they played the questions and answers game for a little over an hour. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but at one point he looked over and Ianto was slumped against the headboard chin to chest. After getting his young partner a little more comfortable Jack went back to work.

He watched the tape, seeing himself slip into the maintenance corridor. About five minutes later a figure wearing a hoodie slips in. Even when the assassin slipped out again a few minutes later Jack couldn't tell what they looked like, other than they were male. He officially hated hoodies. The assailant wasn't carrying a bag so the stun gun and knife must be in the front pockets of the sweater. Jack tried to remember how it had felt. The whole thing had happened very fast. He had felt the jolt of electricity from the left and it had left him disoriented. Then, just as Owen had warned them about, He had been stabbed on the right side of his neck. It was less of a knife and more of a point. It almost felt like a needle. Then before he knew it the world had faded to black, the last thing he heard was Ianto calling him name.

The video caught up to Jack's recollections. He saw was a flash of suit and gun burst through the door. It would be sexy if he didn't know the pain and panic that had caused it. He backed up the video to the hooded figure again and zoomed in. Jack was studying the partial face when he saw lights flashing out the window. He walked over and saw police cruisers in front of the office tower. Lucy Pride was standing out front talking to a couple of PC's. Jack noted that her casual wear was still pretty conservative: a turtleneck, pants and a jean jacket. He tossed a sweater on over his t-shirt and headed outside.

"Lucy!" She turned at the sound of her name. When she saw Jack she was too surprised to be overly annoyed. She excused herself from the officers and met him halfway up the sidewalk. "Is everything ok?"

"Mr Scott what are you doing here?"

"First, call me James, especially after midnight." Lucy tried not to roll her eyes. "Secondly I was up working late, saw the lights and you out here and figured it couldn't be good. What happened?" She softened at his genuine concern.

"Thankfully it seems like a prank call. Someone called my mobile saying there was a body inside. Security hadn't seen anything but obviously we called the police to be sure. The constables were just telling me that they did not find anyone either."

"Well that's a relief. Are you going to have to stay much longer? Did you want to bring you a tea? I'd invited you up but Will doesn't want anyone to know he snores." He winked and flashed his classic Jack smile. For once Lucy actually smiled back.

"No thank you James, you go back home I'll be fine." He nodded before heading back inside. From the eighth floor window Ianto watched the whole exchange. As soon as Jack was far enough away Lucy had returned to the police. They were showing her pictures on a digital camera. He heard the door open and close.

"Well, turns out they are looking for me, or more accurately what our hooded friend thought would be left of me." Jack joined him at the window. Ianto's eyes didn't leave the crime scene below.

"They were showing her pictures. I think it was the mess we didn't have time to clean. I should have gone back." Jack shrugged.

"Nothing we can do about it now. Besides they won't be able to analyze it. Apparently my DNA breaks your average run of the mill government funded lab equipment. There's your fun fact of the day." Lucy exchanged cards with the officers and they all got in their separate vehicles to depart.

"I'm pretty sure you've given me enough of those tonight to last at least a month." Ianto smiled. Jack smiled back and drew a finger suggestively down his forearm. As great as it felt something compelled Ianto to stop. He turned slowly out of reach and made sure to look Jack in the eyes "I'm not saying no more, I'm just saying not tonight. Ok?" He was praying that the older man understood he wasn't rejecting him now that he knew the truth. "It's just been a really long day." Jack nodded.

"Yeah, sure, same here. I mean, dying takes a lot out of a guy." He flashed a staged smile. He reached over and placed his hand on the Welshman's shoulder. " Goodnight Ianto Jones."

"Goodnight Sir." He half smiled. Jack turned to make the long walk down to his end of the apartment. That same voice inside that told Ianto to stop was now telling him not to let that man walk away. "Jack?" The Captain turned back with a puzzled look. "Um" Ianto realised he hadn't thought past getting his attention. "You could stay anyways, if you want. I'm going to pass out but there's room for two. Or you could keep working if you aren't tired but just want comp-" He realized he was babbling and flushed slightly. Jack's warm, genuine smile returned.

"Company would be nice. I think I'll join you on the passing out front." Jack took off his sweater and jeans leaving the t-shirt and boxers as sleepwear. Ianto wandered off to the bathroom and returned in his undershirt and sleep pants. He was going to set the alarm but Jack stopped him.

"We'll get in when we get in." Ianto nodded and rearranged the pillows so there were two distinct sides to the bed. He took one and Jack took the other.

By the time they woke up five hours later, they had met in the middle of the bed. Jack was cuddled up with his arms around the younger man. Neither of them consciously remembered how they got that way.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N Hey Everyone! I am so so sorry this one took me so long. I was horribly blocked on this end and yet inspired on another so between those two it was a bit slow coming with the ideas

I would like to dedicate this chapter to the fabulous Bendyfish. She has been pushing me to keep this story going when I felt I couldn't so this one's for her! Cheers Hun! The rest of you, go read her stuff it is fun :D

Also, apparently the internet has been eating some of the messages people are sending me and I haven't been getting them all. So if you sent me a PM and I haven't replied please send me another because I answer everyone as a rule.

Lastly any of you fine people who are on twitter and want to hear more varied ramblings can find me corastacy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, I just love it dearly.

* * *

"Look carefully, it could be anything." Jack was pulling bodyguard duty protecting Caleb while he searched the corridor for messages from Chris. Ianto was stuck in a meeting with Lucy for the gala so Jack took his all access pass and used it to get back into the hallway from the day before. "I still can't believe you didn't look here earlier, it's two doors down from your office. Your easter egg levels in your games must suck!"

"Ok, I get it, You're better at this than I am." Caleb had noticed that Jack seemed extra intolerant of him today without Ianto to act as buffer. Caleb had always preferred dealing with the younger man and now he remembered why. He stopped walking forward "You really don't like me do you."

"Right now I don't. KEEP LOOKING." Jack glanced back at the door then forward down the hall. Caleb sighed and moved to the left wall feeling behind a pipe. Jack did likewise with the right.

"Why?"

"You're a complication."

"Yeah but without me you wouldn't know what to even look for." Jack had to give him that one. Caleb had given them half of the evidence they had. He was about to apologize when Caleb stopped walking again. He pulled on a piece of tape and a micro sd card fell to the ground. The two men stared at it for a second.

"Are you sure that's it?" Caleb picked it up and nodded. He pointed to numbers on the tape.

"42-1701. That was our code for the club. 42 for Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, 1701 for Star Trek." He looked at the Captain who was staring blankly. "Not a sci-fi fan are you."

"Nope. Can't sit through it to save my life."

"Let me guess, you find it dry?" Jack had to stop himself from laughing. The real reason he couldn't handle science fiction was far too complicated. If they got everything wrong he was frustrated and couldn't stop thinking of how that situation would actually go. If they got too much right, he worried that he might have to go 'deal with' the writer.

"Something like that." Jack stated flatly. "I guess we should find something to read that with." Caleb nodded as they headed back to the office.

Ianto and Lucy were walking through the main lobby discussing table arrangements when Jack texted him. The simple two word message 'Got it' was enough to signal that he should try to be upstairs sooner than later. "So we should have the press releases ready tomorrow as well as the invitations. Do you have any preferred vendors so far or should I produce a list?" He was reading the checklist he had set for this meeting to see if everything had been accomplished. It seemed he would be able to excuse himself after this point was addressed.

"We have a few we've used in the past but I'm always open to suggestions. I have an opening in my schedule for dinner tonight if you want. We can make lists and compare?" He glanced up and caught something not entirely professional in the look she was giving him. He gave her a small smile before going back to his notes.

"That's not necessary; We can discuss that in the morning." His phone buzzed again, another text from Jack. "That was James, he needs my input. I'll pop round first thing?" Lucy nodded, trying not to look disappointed. "Have a good afternoon Lucy." He headed towards the lift as she waved goodbye. Lucy walked back into her office and went into her purse. She pulled out a fiver and dropped it on Mellissa's desk. The receptionist looked confused for a moment. "You win. I'm convinced they're together." Lucy retreated closing the door and returning to her work.

"Found it?" Ianto asked as soon as the door was shut. Jack was sitting alone at the computer. "And where's Caleb?"

"He decided it was time to call it a day. How'd the meeting go?" Jack held out his empty mug which was quickly collected

"Really well until Lucy tried to ask me out." Ianto busied himself with making a fresh pot.

"I'm guessing since we aren't devising some sort of sock on the door-esque code that you turned her down." Jack paused trying to figure out how to proceed. "Any particular reason? She's a pretty girl."

"I just don't think it would be a good idea. I prefer to keep things professional. Most of the time." He added that last part quickly. He didn't want whatever door had cracked open between them to slam shut, even if he wasn't ready to walk through it yet. Once the coffee was ready he walked back over to the double desk and placed a mug in front of Jack. "So what was this clue we've been looking for?

"Chris taped a micro sd card to the back of a pipe." Jack turned the monitor a bit so Ianto could see better. "After a few security questions that were easily answered between Caleb's knowledge and Tosh's code breaker program we were left with GPS Co-ordinates and a set of numbers that I'm guessing are the unit number and access code." Jack typed the latitude and longitude into the computer and sat back. He watched realization dawn on the younger man's face.

"It's in Cardiff?" Jack nodded and grinned.

"It's perfect. We pick up the data pod, take it to the hub, open it and then we'll know exactly what we are dealing with." Ianto nodded slowly as if he were plotting while responding.

"Well I have another meeting with Lucy first thing in the morning but we can come up with an excuse and leave after. I can do everything else by phone and email I suppose. I'll tell Lucy we have a meeting with the tourist office about a possible event." Jack was impressed with how brilliant a cover it was, considering they were the tourist office.

"Your brain is a marvel Ianto Jones." Jack finished his coffee and looked at the time on the computer "Think we can call it a day?" He received a nod in reply.

Ianto was standing in his room later trying to decide exactly how much he needed to pack. Technically if they stayed longer than a day he could just go to his flat and pick up more clothes. He packed one extra set of clothes just to be safe and lined up his toiletries so that they would be ready to pack in the morning. He looked down the hall to the other half open bedroom door. He could hear Jack humming. A little bit of worry picked up in Ianto's mind. What would going back do to this, development between the two of them? It's not like he expected Jack to run in screaming 'I shagged the traitorous tea boy' but how would he act? If he acted like nothing had happened would that be better or worse? Would they, distract, each other in Cardiff the way they did here? He hoped they would. Hell, why wait?

Ianto roamed down the hall and peeked around the semi-closed door into Jack's room. He had a half packed bag on his bed, clothes haphazardly shoved into it, and was pausing to write the nightly text message to the hub. He was facing away from the door which made the Welshman's plan all the more delicious. Before walking into the room Ianto peeled off his t-shirt so that he was only wearing his pyjama bottoms. He crept in and sat on the bed behind Jack, leaning his head over Jack's shoulder. "Warning them so they clean before I get back?" The Captain smiled.

"Something like that." He finished the message, pressed send and tossed the phone into the bag. He then took his free arms to wraps Ianto's hands around his waist. "No doubt you're already packed?"

"Of Course Sir." Ianto purred. Jack was melting far faster than he had intended. It was those stupid, perfect, sexy Welsh vowels. "Thought I might offer some, assistance?" He placed a few small kisses on his neck. Jack turned himself around and pulled Ianto in for a hungry kiss. He broke away for a moment and tossed the bag haphazardly on the floor and guiding the shirtless man down onto the bed.

"Plenty of time for that in the morning." Jack pulled off his own shirt and claimed his mouth again.


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: I'm back! was on vacation but managed to coax another chapter out while stuck on airplanes. Hoping to get this one finished up within the month. Please review, it makes my day :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to the BBC.

* * *

They pulled up to the parking entrance and Jack typed in the entry code. "Home Sweet Home" He said as they drove into the warehouse. There were two big boxes of things they had retrieved from Chris' locker in the back seat of the Audi. One was full of alien artefacts that they didn't want getting out into the world. The second one held the data pod. Ianto and Jack each grabbed a box and headed to the hub. Ianto braced himself for the level of destruction that could possibly be waiting on the other side of the cog door, but was pleasantly surprised to find it no worse than a usual day off.

"We're Here." Jack announced.

"I'm pretty sure the door siren tipped them off Sir."

"It's still never nice to sneak up on people. Fun, yes, but never nice." Jack dropped the data pod box on Tosh's desk and looked around. "Is there even anyone here to sneak up on?"

"Not by the looks of it." Ianto grabbed an earpiece and put it in. " Tosh, Owen, Gwen, We're back"

"Ianto, Hi!" Gwen replied. She was out of breath as if he had caught her running. "Sorry, we had a Weevil sighting, be back soon."

"Right, Thanks." He tapped the ear piece again to sign off. "Weevils" He updated Jack, the Captain nodded.

"I'm impressed the place didn't fall apart. I'm not looking forward to seeing the inboxes though. Bet no one's done much paperwork. I know I wouldn't if you weren't here to keep me in line."

"Then I suppose it's a good thing I'm not going anywhere." Ianto grabbed the box of other artefacts "Anything overly concerning or should general archiving suffice?"

"General archiving should be fine. It's all pretty pedestrian unless it gets into the wrong hands. Even then I'm not too concerned." Ianto nodded and put the box on his desk. He would handle it later, now he wanted to welcome the team back with some coffee.

Owen, Tosh and Gwen arrived about 15 minutes later. Jack had been right that the inbox on his desk was a disaster. He had just started to organize when he noticed his team gathered around Tosh's desk.

"So this is what the killer was looking for then?" Owen asked

"More specifically what is inside it. This is one of the most heavily encrypted devices in any century I've been to." Jack lifted the diamond out of the box and put it in Tosh's hands. "And it's all yours Ms Sato."

"Good thing Ianto's back to put the coffee on." She smiled placing it on her desk and hooking wires to it.

"Did someone call for coffee?" Ianto appeared behind them. A chorus of appreciative murmurs greeted each cup.

"Owen and Gwen I need you to research and brainstorm what kind of weapon can stab like a knife but feel round like a needle. It might give us an idea of where to look for our killer."

"Wait, how do you know what it feels like" Gwen asked in an accusing motherly tone.

"Had a bit of a run-in with our assailant. Nothing big, he stumbled and missed" Jack shrugged and glanced at Ianto for back up.

"Yup, tripped an alarm. He left in a hurry and I patched Jack up. No harm no foul." he picked up some stray coffee cups.

"See? I was in good hands." Jack winked before both men moved to their desks to avoid further questioning.

Ianto walked into Jack's office a couple hours later with fresh coffee in his favorite blue mug. "I know you haven't been going through withdrawal like the others but I thought you might fancy a second cup."

"Thanks, how did the archives hold up?" He took a sip "I swear it tastes better out of this mug."

"Not too bad. I left them with very specific instructions. If anyone attempted to put anything away they would be put on decaf. That way it's one long day of filing instead of months of finding things in the wrong spot." Jack laughed.

"Very wise. So what are your plans for the evening?"

"Sir?"

"Well, unless you wanted to get a head start on the filing you are pretty much done for the day. Were you looking to go home or" Jack trailed off raising one eyebrow.

"Oh! I Wasn't sure, well" Ianto's eyes flitted around the room nervously while he tried to find the words.

"You thought it might just be an away thing." Jack filled in the blanks. The young Welshman nodded. "it isn't, unless you want it to be."

"No, unless you want it to be?" This was turning into the type of awkward high school level conversation he hated having. However, considering he had very little experience in dating either his boss or a man, Ianto figured there was nothing to do but ask questions.

"Good, then it isn't. Now, with that settled." Jack leaned forward on the desk with a seductive grin on his face. "What were your plans for the evening?"

"Well I should go home. Empty the post and what not." He stated nonchalantly. A small smile curved on his face "But there is nothing saying I have to do that alone is there."

"Absolutely not. I'll finish up here and we'll-"

"Jack! Tosh thinks she's cracked it." Gwen called into the office. Both men jumped and rushed out to the main Hub floor. The disappointment at their rendezvous being put on hold was quickly overshadowed by their desire for answers.

"What's the story Tosh?" Jack bounded towards the Tech's station. The data pod was now split into a Z shape and was connected to the computer. One screen showed the text switching from whatever alien dialect it was initially written in to English. The other screen was breaking the encryption on each file.

"It seems to be some sort of personnel file from what I've managed to unlock so far. Name, Location, Last known whereabouts."

"Anyone we know?" Jack looked over her shoulder curiously.

"The name isn't human but they make it clear that she." Tosh squinted "Yep she, is most likely using a perception filter to blend in."

"Any indication why they are looking for her?"

"The most I've gotten so far is the word protection."

"You mean like witness protection? Could they be in hiding?" Gwen asked

"Possibly, I won't know much more for a few hours." Tosh looked at the rest of the team apologetically.

"Let's let it run overnight." Jack suggested. "Everyone be in by seven tomorrow. I'll watch the rift tonight, you all deserve a night off. We'll see what the rest of the file says and decided our next move in the morning. Good work team." Owen, Gwen and Tosh packed their bags quickly, wanting to enjoy their first uninterrupted night of rest in weeks. Ianto did the dishes and busied himself in the archives until he was certain the three of them were gone. He walked into Jack's office and was surprised not to see him at his desk.

"Jack?"

"Down here! I'm coming." He called up from the hole in the floor that lead to his private bunker. When he popped up Jack looked more himself than he had in weeks. He was wearing his wrist strap, a blue shirt, tan braces, black trousers and last but certainly not least, his great coat. "Hope you don't mind, I wanted to get a little more comfortable while I could."

"Never. I love that coat." Ianto smiled. "Shall we?"

"Just let me forward the systems to my strap and then we're off." Jack walked over to Gwen's computer to make the necessary connections. Ianto glanced at Tosh's computer and watched the translation and encryption programs work at unlocking the secrets of the data pod. Suddenly a photo on the screen grabbed his attention.

"Jack, the alien we're looking for... It's Lucy."


	16. Chapter 15

A/N Sorry for the delays again! The plot bunnies have been keeping me in Starling City with my Arrow fics. Still Barrowman, wrong one though ;)

3 chapters to go after this one. Hoping to get them done sooner than later. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are property of Russell T Davies and the BBC

* * *

Lucy walked into her office not even looking at Melissa as she said good morning. She was crunched over her blackberry answering RSVP questions about the gala. Everything would be so much easier if Will hadn't had to run to Cardiff. He was being very supportive and had arranged most of the vendors remotely but it was still harder than if he was in his office upstairs. She dropped her things at her desk and popped back out to the reception area "How long do I have until my first appointment Melissa?"

"That depends," Melissa pulled the day planned up and Lucy stood behind her to look closer. " The first one scheduled is ten but Mr Lloyd and Mr Scott asked if you could fit them in when you have time?"

"Oh they're back? Excellent! Tell them I can see them right away and send them in when they get here." She rushed back to her desk and started organizing her notes about what needed to be done today. Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. Jack and Ianto walked in, both in suits. " James, Will, so glad to have you back!" she stood up shaking their hands."

"Thank you Lucy. How are things looking for the gala?" Ianto asked approaching the desk while Jack closed the door, locking it subtly.

" So far it looks like an excellent turn out and preparations are going smoothly. I am glad to have you two back though. Everything well in Cardiff?"

"Yes, just getting our next project in line." Jack answered. "But we did find something fascinating that we thought might be of use at the gala."

"Oh? A performance act?"

"Not exactly, more like a lighting effect." Ianto offered. Jack closed the blinds between the office and the reception area. He pulled the square piece of metal out of his pocket.

"You see Lucy you just toss it in the air and..." Jack tossed the square up and it flashed covering the ceiling in green light before dropping to the ground and going dark again. As the light fell from the ceiling the two agents saw Lucy change from a petite red head to a tall, pink skinned bald alien with hooves. "On top of the pretty light show it also takes out any perception filters or cloaking devices in the immediate area." Lucy backed away from Ianto, who now had a gun pointed at her. Jack picked up the device and turned it off allowing Lucy to return to her human appearance.

"Who are you? How did you know?"

"Torchwood." Lucy stiffened at the reference.

"I was warned about you from those who helped me get here. The Immortal Man." Ianto raised an eyebrow.

"Not much of a secret then?" Jack shrugged.

"Aliens talk. You die in front of an audience enough times, word gets around."

"Have fun, drive safe, watch out for the bloke in the coat who won't stay down?"

"And the one in the Blue Box." Lucy added

"Sorry?" Ianto asked confused.

"Uh, Old friend of mine. Long story." Jack summarized before turning back to Lucy. "So. Since you had time to find out about me I'm guessing you came to Earth on purpose?"

" The atmosphere was hospitable, and far enough away I would be safe from the ones who want me dead."

"So you killed Chris and the others to keep your secret?" The Captain pressed.

"No one knew about me until today. I had nothing to do with their deaths. They were human crimes, robberies."

"Really Luce? You're buying that?" Jack eyed her suspiciously. "So the fact they were in possession of a Wensprot Data Pod is just a coincidence?" Lucy's face fell. She stumbled back and leaned against her desk.

"I'm doomed, they found me." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. Ianto gave Jack a look asking for permission to drop the gun. His boss nodded and he holstered his weapon.

"Who found you?" Ianto pulled a handkerchief from his suit pocket and passed it to her. She dabbed her eyes briefly before continuing.

" The General's men." Lucy looked between the men and knew they were waiting for her to give them the whole story. " On my planet I was not a powerful person but a well placed one. I was a trusted servant to the leader of our race." She smiled sadly. " He was a kind man, but foolish. He did not always pick the best people to be his advisors. One of these advisors, General Pire, was an evil man. He wanted the throne for himself. I saw him murder our leader, poison him and walk away." Lucy began to cry again.

"Did he know that you saw?" Jack asked. She shook her head.

"Not at first. It took me some time to find someone who had doubts in the General. Eventually a few other officials began to question the leader's sudden demise. I shared my story with them and they sent me here to hide until they can get enough support and evidence together for a trial."

" That's why the data pod mentioned protection." Ianto pieced together. " The person who wants it is trying to locate you. Hence the photos of your perceived appearance."

" Are you sure these aren't your friends coming to give you a lift back?" Jack hated getting involved in civil wars, they rarely ended well. The only thing he hated more were murdering dictators.

"No, They would contact me on this." Lucy pointed to the necklace she was wearing. "They wouldn't need a data pod."

" So whoever is searching for the pod is connected to the General. If we can capture them, get them to tell us what they know, you might be one step closer to getting home." Jack was in full planning mode. " I think we need to expand the guest list for this gala. Invite everyone in the building. If they were able to get into the corridor to attack me they most likely work here or are here often."

"Add some of the main vendors? Vending machine and copier techs as well?" Ianto added.

"Open house, everybody in. I'll send an email saying I want to make the trade in a public space for my own safety. We'll drop another one of these puppies." Jack waved the disruptor around as he spoke. "And be able to easily spot the assassin."

"What about the human guests?" Lucy asked "What will they do when they see us in our true forms?"

"Performance Art, Magic show, Live special effects. I'll come up with something." Ianto explained

"Always do." The two men smiled at each other.

"Not that I would be in any position to argue but I'm in." Lucy confirmed. She turned to Ianto. " Will, I want you to know, my interest in you was genuine. I didn't know you were Torchwood. I had no idea how long I'd be here, in fact I still don't. I figured I might as well enjoy it." He smiled at her.

"I understand Lucy, and if we're being completely honest." He once again turned to Jack for approval as he extended his hand to her. Jack , understanding nodded and approached Lucy as well. "Call me Ianto. Ianto Jones." She smiled and shook his hand. Jack followed suit.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and we're going to stop this once and for all."


	17. Chapter 16

A/N We have finally reached the thrilling ( I hope) Conclusion! Thanks to everyone who put up with my shoddy updating schedule, thank you for all the reviews and encouragement. The Epilogue should be up in the next couple of hours or late tomorrow. My birthday party starts in 1.5 hours so it depends if I can get everything ready before then or if I have to wait.

Enjoy!

disclaimer: RTD and the BBC own it all, I'm just borrowing for fun.

* * *

Ianto was working on a second pot of coffee at the flat when the phone rang. Jack walked out of his room, trousers and shirt on but neither done up and answered it "Hello?" There was a brief pause while the other party answered "Yes send them up. Thank you." He turned to the kitchen "They're here."

"We have enough to get started. I'm working on more." Jack walked in and took a cup savoring the first sip as he did every time. "Erm Jack?" He looked at Ianto who was thoroughly amused "You have about forty-five seconds until they get here. You might want to finish getting dressed." Jack smiled with a dangerous sparkle in his eye.

"What? Don't like the view." Ianto gave him an elevator look as Jack started buttoning up.

"Not the case at all. It is just far too early to hear Owen bellow." Jack laughed as they heard a knock at the door. Ianto opened the door to their long travelling team members. " Good morning! Welcome to home away from home." Jack called cheerfully over his shoulder. Gwen, Owen and Tosh were each carrying a small suitcase or overnight bag instead of their usual kits.

" Good morning my ass. Some of us were up at 3 am to get here this sodding early. Jones, there better be coffee ready or I'm driving back to Cardiff right now." Owen scowled.

"See Ianto? He's bellowing regardless. Shall I give you all the tour while the coffees are pouring?" Jack lead the group down the hallway to his room first before circling back and showing off Ianto's. The tour ended in the kitchen where the young Welshman presented each of them with a fresh cup. They were settling in around the dining table when the phone rang a second time. Jack was the closest so picked it up again. " Grand central station." It was obvious from the grin on his face he had frazzled the poor desk clerk. " No you dialed correctly, send her up." Ianto checked his watch to see if they were running on time. When he saw nothing but a freckle staring back at him he froze. His watch was in Jack's room, on Jack's night table no less. He cursed silently as they heard a knock at the door. Ianto opened it and smiled sympathetically As an obviously nervous Lucy.

"Good morning W- Ianto." She caught herself, she was still trying to get used to referring to him by his true identity.

"Good Morning, coffee?" he offered. She nodded and he hurried off into the kitchen just as Jack was coming back from his room with a file.

"Glad you could make it. Team, this is our refugee, Lucy. Luce, this is the rest of Torchwood." Jack gestured around the table. "Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, and Owen-" the Englishman cleared his throat. " Sorry, Doctor, Owen Harper." Jack passed out copies of the briefing as they exchanged pleasantries. Ianto gave Lucy a cup of coffee before standing next to Jack and taking papers.

"Ok, so the big gala is tonight and our assassin, bounty hunter, pain in the butt is going to be there. I have offered him the data pod in exchange for 250,000 pounds." Owen let out a low whistle as Jack continued. " I am supposed to leave it in the centre of a table as art and he will leave the money in a bag under said table."

" So we just look for the bloke with the bag?" Gwen asked.

" Except everyone is going to have a bag. We are giving out gift bags at the door with products from our tenants." Lucy explained.

"This is where the signal disruptor comes in." The captain explained. "As soon as we notice the data pod is missing we activate it and our friendly neighborhood serial killer will be exposed the same way Luce was." Ianto heard the coffee maker stop and retreated to the kitchen to get the rest of breakfast and fill a carafe. Jack continued "You all have roles which will give us maximum exposure to the area. Tosh, since you are already known as a client of ours, we put you on the guest list. Owen and Gwen, we got you hired as wait staff.

"Why am I always bloody wait staff?" Owen complained "Every time we go undercover I'm the help!"

"Fine, Ianto make a note: Next mission Owen gets to be a successful business mogul."

"Noted Sir." Ianto dropped the carafe and a tray of pastries before heading back to the kitchen to start the washing up.

"Alright, enjoy breakfast. We head over in half an hour to start setting up." Jack retreated to join Ianto at the sink. He leaned backwards against the counter and watched his employee work. " Everything alright?" Jack asked quietly.

"Um, yeah, I just, misplaced my watch." He blushed slightly. Jack pulled a look of fake concern.

"Really? That's not like you." He thought for a second " Check your pockets?" Ianto started to roll his eyes until he figured out the game his boss was playing. He felt around before finding his watch in right jacket pocket.

"How?"

"A con can involve planting something on a mark just as often as it can involve taking something from one." He leaned in and whispered "I would never leave you hanging Ianto Jones." Jack winked before heading out to join the rest of the group. Ianto stayed behind, the dishes needed to be washed, and he needed a moment for his pulse to stop racing.

Seven o'clock that evening, Tosh walked into the main lobby of the Paradiso in a long black dress. She had to admit that for two Torchwood operatives Jack and Ianto had pulled off an impressive event. There were long ribbons suspended from the high ceilings with colored lights highlighting them. Owen and Gwen were part of a fleet of at least 40 wait staff and bartenders circulating. She walked up to the check in table where Ianto, looking quite dashing in a tuxedo, was greeting the arrivals.

"Ms Song, so glad you could join us." Instead of grabbing the next nondescript black gift bag in front of him he pulled one out from under the table. "Please accept this with our compliments and enjoy your evening." While he had given every guest a similar bag and speech, he had included a few extras for his friend. No one else had a lock pick, dose of retcon or signal disruptor in with their chocolates and coupons.

Jack, equally as dapper in his tux, and Lucy in a lovely green gown, were working the room as the welcoming hosts. Lucy posed for press photos with local government officials while Jack flirted with the bored spouses, male and female. He excused himself as he saw Toshiko approaching. He kissed he cheek "Dangerous and beautiful, they won't know what hit them."

"You can thank Ianto. He picked it out." She smiled. Being the most senior member of the current team she was the most used to Jack's affections. They were sincere yet harmless.

"If I ever decide to get uniforms I'm putting him in charge. Keep your eye on table twelve." She nodded and left as another guest approached. The table was right near a charity silent auction giving her plenty of reason to loiter. First Gwen passed with a tray of canapés, then Owen with champagne. She was able to follow their paths and keep an eye on their locations. She had wandered to the edge of the auction tables when Ianto came over.

" I'm starting to worry our guest won't arrive." Tosh said.

"If what Lucy says is true there is far too much riding on this for him to quit now." He glanced around and saw Caleb approach. "Ah Caleb, hello. Enjoying yourself?"

"So far, a little nervous." He said glancing at the data pod.

"Don't like seeing it out in the open?" Tosh asked. Caleb looked at her surprised.

"It's alright, she's with us." Ianto confirmed allowing the man to relax slightly "If I were to guess, our friend is waiting for the speeches to make his move." He checked his watch. " Which are supposed to be starting in five minutes so excuse me." He left Caleb and Tosh to mingle.

Jack was in the middle of a story about hitchhiking across southern Scotland when Ianto appeared over the audiences' shoulders and signalled it was time. He excused himself from the circle of political wives and met up with his partner who was getting Lucy's attention. The three of them moved to the side of the stage.

"Alright Luce, introduce me and then I want you out of here. The longer we wait the more likely it is that one of us will have to throw that thing in a hurry." Jack directed. Lucy looked incredibly nervous until Ianto offered his arm. She smiled and linked hers with the quiet man. Jack took her other arm. They climbed the stairs as he quietly murmured "See you in hell."

"Caleb!" The young designer turned to see Rose, the receptionist from the third floor walking over.

"Hello Rosie! Don't you look smart!" He smiled " This is-" Caleb blushed realizing he didn't know Toshiko`s name.

"Hanna Song." She added. "Caleb and I were introduced by Will Lloyd."

"Oh of course!" Rose beamed. "Nice chap, Mr Scott as well. He's definitely livened up the place." They all laughed at the obvious and not so obvious truth in that statement.

" Come stag this evening Rosie?" Caleb asked.

"Well Eric was with me, but I lost him at that table with the art display." She pointed at table twelve, which was now missing it's alien centrepiece. "Now where did that boy run off to?" Caleb turned back to notice his companion was gone.

"Everyone, it's gone." Tosh said into her earpiece. "Throwing it now" The flash that the signal disruptor made as it reached maximum height was enough of a distraction to allow Ianto to throw his jacket around Lucy and push her behind the curtain before anyone noticed their hostess was bright pink. The team scanned the crowd before noticing an equally pink individual heading to a stairwell. Jack called for Ianto to follow him in pursuit while the rest of the team worked on crowd control.

The two agents raced up the stairs while Tosh filled them in on the assailant`s identity. Jack stopped at one point and fired as the alien rounded the corner to the next stairwell. He missed. They heard a door open and shut a few floors up but couldn't tell exactly where it was. "Ianto you take the 11th floor, I'll go 12. It has to be one of those two they are the only ones close enough. The Welshman nodded and took the first exit.

Jack made his way down the darkened corridor with his weebly drawn. This time, he would not be snuck up on. " Ianto, anything?"

"Not yet Sir, all quiet so far."

"How's downstairs doing?"

"Most people are buying the wiring malfunction. No one seems to have seen the disturbance." Gwen reported

"Well let's try to keep it that way. Get everyone out as quick as you can. Drop the field and have Lucy make an announcement if it helps." He rounded the next corner and caught an arm with a stun gun trying to jab him in the neck. He caught the arm and flipped the body over his shoulder. His attacker landed on his feet and faced him. It was Eric. Jack took a swing at the man, who ducked and attempted to sweep Jack's feet out from under him. The captain jumped and kicked Eric in the jaw sending him backwards. "Stun gun again? out of tricks?" Eric pulled a blaster out from the back of his waistband. "I take it back." He lunged forward and tried to wrestle the gun from the alien's grip. He managed to point it behind them when it fired taking out a window. Jack threw all his weight into shoving Eric against a wall sending the gun flying.

" I want you the hell off my planet. Got it?" Jack snarled. " It's a class five, you shouldn't be here anyways."

"Give me the fugitive and I'll go." Eric shot back.

"The only fugitive I see here is you. You killed 3 men and you tried to kill me." Jack placed the weebly under Eric's chin. "Perception filters don't stop bullets you know."

"And whatever you are won't make this hurt any less." A long thin blade punctured Jack's stomach. The pain made him release his grip and allowed Eric to push him away. The Captain looked down and realized the reason they were having a problem identifying the weapon was that it wasn't a weapon at all. It was a Talon on the alien's right hand. He led a bleeding and disoriented Jack towards the window and leaned him out. "I wonder if you are as immune to falling as you are to stabbing?" He pulled his claws out of Jack's abdomen and put his hand around his throat. "At the very least I'm sure it will give me a head start."

A flash of blue light hit the bounty hunter in the back sending him toppling over. Jack felt himself began to fall along with the body when a pair of strong arms grabbed his feet and pulled him back down onto the floor. Jack forced himself into a seated position and saw a tuxedo clad Welshman laying on the floor trying to catch his breath.

"You alright?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded. "I would have been ok you know."

"There would have been too much to explain." The younger man wheezed. "Besides, what was that you said about not leaving me hanging?" The pair locked eyes. Ianto smiled as Jack started laughing, both relieved it was all over.


	18. Epilogue

Epilogue:

Owen looked at the clock in the hub and sighed. "They did it again." Tosh looked up, it had been two hours since Ianto and Jack had left to go 'Weevil hunting' without an actual weevil call being registered.

" Do you think they'll ever tell us?" Tosh wondered out loud.

"They will if I threaten to go with them next time. You're all friendly with the teaboy, can't you get him to tell you?"

"Tell her what?" Gwen asked coming back up from the archives with a file.

"That Harkness and Jones are shagging."

"What? No," Gwen looked to Tosh for a sign that Owen was joking. " I mean, no, Ianto likes girls!"

"So does Jack, maybe he's not the only one who's flexible." Tosh hypothesized

"Oy, don't say 'flexible' when you are talking about those two, I do not need the mental pictures." Owen put his hand up in surrender and walked back to the med bay.

Gwen thought carefully. It had been about a month since Jack and Ianto had returned from their mission. After the initial clean-up they had taken extra care to make sure no one else was tracking Lucy. They had destroyed the data pod and offered to set her up with another new identity. She refused, saying that she wanted to see the Paradiso restored to its pre-crime wave glory.

Jack and Ianto gave Caleb the money Eric had left in the bag for the data pod exchange. He had started his sci-fi bar, with a few extra pieces they gifted him from the archives. He kept his office for his game design business at Paradiso and had struck up a friendship with Lucy after Ianto introduced them.

"I won't believe it until I see it." Gwen decided.

"Well that will be hard, there seems to be a lot of CCTV footage missing." Tosh joked.

She wasn't the only one checking the cameras. Ianto brought up the clip of the teammates' discussion the next day sitting in the tourist office with Jack. " Should we put them out of their misery?"

" Hell no! This is fun! I love making peoples' heads explode. Well metaphorically speaking, that time with the memory probe wasn't so fun."

"That is an extreme understatement, you weren't the one who had to clean it up." Ianto looked at him sternly. The Captain stood up, closed the door, and wrapped his arms around the younger man

"But I made it up to you didn't it?" He kissed his neck as he loosened the Welshman's tie.

"That you did sir, That you did."


End file.
